Inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing to Attract Customers

Inbound Marketing is a term attributed to Hubspot.  Since 2006 it has been gaining in popularity and is now a widely accepted practice.  It is also known as Content Marketing. It is easy to understand when it is contrasted with Outbound or traditional marketing. The outbound sales process focuses on buying email lists or purchasing leads and essentially attempting to “sell” the customer.  Sales teams cold call by telephone or lobby visits.  The sales strategy is an attempt to sell products and services by reaching out to potential customers as opposed to attracting them.

There has been a dramatic shift in marketing strategy that is a direct result of the internet and information at our fingertips. Having a strong website and internet presence is no longer just an option, it’s a necessity.

Inbound Marketing focuses on a deep understanding of your ideal customer and their buying journey.

By providing valuable information, education and entertaining facts, the Inbound Marketing process is designed to attract, inform, and convert visitors as they get to know, like and trust your company.

The Inbound Marketing Journey

To put it into a sample scenario, let’s describe a hypothetical situation.

Bill Ceo has been frustrated at the difficulty that his company, Atlantic Fulfillment Services, is having attracting new customers.  If asked what his number one business challenge is, it would be lead generation and keeping his pipeline full.  He is frustrated at the amount of money it takes to maintain an expensive sales force that is not producing the desired results. He is seeing a significant increase in the resistance of people willing to hear their sales pitch.  What used to work well is no longer effective.

Bill decides to go onto the internet and do a search for lead generation.  Unfortunately, he gets hit with people trying to sell him lists, guaranteed to be high quality. Some tell him he needs SEO or that he should be doing Social Media. He has tried these lists and other “tactics”, and knows they can be a money pit.

Continuing his online search, he lands on a webpage that immediately offers a list of “The Top 10 Ways to Generate New Business.“ This is exactly what he is seeking.  As he reads about educating visitors and becoming a thought leader in his industry, he is interested.   He returns to the site and is offered a free eBook titled “Making Your Website a Lead Machine”.  All he does is enter his email and the book is immediately sent to him electronically.  Upon reading the eBook, Bill discovers that there is a better way.  Allowing people to know, like, trust, then try, buy, repeat, and refer is so much better than selling!  Bill wants to know, can this solution work for his business?

The time is right to speak to someone about how he can turn his website into his best source of leads and referrals.  He has more questions and would like to talk to a knowledgeable and helpful person, committed to providing whatever is needed. He may be ready to try.

Bill and his team move forward with Inbound Marketing as a strategy.  His team is no longer trying to sell when prospects are not ready to buy.  They are truly thinking about how to educate and build trust so that when his website prospects are ready to buy, Atlantic will be chosen for its credibility, integrity, and expert knowledge.  As the process unfolds, his visitors are finding 5 star reviews and case studies of others that successfully solve the same challenges. There is a blog full of useful insights that they would like to receive and share on a regular basis.

This is Inbound Marketing: Attracting visitors to your website.  It is nurturing their interest by providing valuable knowledge that matches what they seek. It is following the ideal customer’s journey, on their terms, versus pulling them into yours.  It works!

Is Inbound Marketing right for your business?

In today’s digital marketing environment, most businesses need an inbound marketing strategy. Let’s face it; no one wants to be sold anything.  Inbound Marketing is a dramatic shift.  If needed, you must be willing to replace or redesign your outdated website to appeal to your ideal customer.  After all, what good is driving traffic to your website if it does nothing to convert visitors to customers?

Additionally, you will need to make a commitment to new ways of attracting and converting customers or outsourcing these services so that your content stays fresh and is able to attract search engines and customers to your business. In short, you will have to invest.

An effective Inbound Marketing Strategy requires building awareness with digital marketing in the form of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It will include developing compelling free offers to better serve your visitors and integrating online activity with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. Blogging and social media marketing are also important elements of building your digital brand.

 

Baltimore SEO for Growth – Inbound Marketing Process

Baltimore SEO for Growth focuses on a systematic approach to marketing.  We employ the principles from the highly acclaimed book of the same name by John Jantsch and Phil Singleton.  Here is some of what you can expect.

• Based on an in-depth knowledge of your ideal customer(s), we craft your content specifically designed to appeal to them.
• Digital Marketing strategies are employed that get your message where your customers are and we drive them to your website.
• Website & Landing pages are optimized based on a Keyword Strategy that consistently improves your search engine ranking.
• Your website will be listed in every known search engine and directory. Outbound and Inbound Links will be generated.
• Reviews and Referrals become routine. The steady flow of converting customers has created a robust pipeline.

As a member of the renowned Duct Tape Marketing Consultancy, we stay ahead of the curve.  We share this knowledge with our customers so that you become a delighted client, eager to refer Baltimore SEO for Growth! Talk to us today.  We will help you, no matter where you are in your journey!